Hi everyone,

I want to create some software which effectively challenges people to think about climate change by bringing it down to a very local level and applying it directly to the local landscape. Very roughly for example along the lines of "to enable this river to support more biodiversity water abstraction needs to reduce, watering your garden with rainwater could protect 30 meters of river bank" using 3D visualisations and choice analysis I could capture what people are willing to do and then use that to target initiatives.

Heres the problem, I'm not a programmer. Like really no i'm not - have spent 11 years or more trying to code and failed so I accept I know how stuff works, and I know SQL/databases and I can scope/design software but not make it happen.

I was told that I can buy in expert help with my research grant, has anyone done this? The idea being I would scope the software, and any additional connections it would need to use (like saving back to a database with people choices) but that someone else would do the code, I would of course give full credit in any writeups i did.

ty in advance.

Hey Hiccup! I'm in a completely different subject to you, but I don't think there's any problem with buying in a bit of expert help where relevant if you have the resources- it's not like you're doing a PhD in programming and buying someone in to do the programming for you! Frequently in our team people have to bring others in to do things we're not qualified to do ourselves. My pal is doing a PhD on art therapy in dementia and is hiring an art therapist to do the therapy, another project involves taking blood samples, which obviously we can't do ourselves, we often have to have specialist statistical advice, and there are loads more examples. So I don't think it's a problem- you can't always be an expert at every little thing because research often cuts across different disciplines, so go for it! Best, KB

Hello Hiccup,

Yes you can do that. You can hire your own research assistant, with a programming background, and pay her/him using funds from your grant. That is totally acceptable at least in my field. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be in yours. Unless of course, if the objective of the PhD is to demonstrate your programming skills.